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'(No Model.)

' AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS. No. 275,006. Patented A rrs, 1883.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFIC ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

GAMEWELL FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF SAME AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,006, dated April 3, 1883.

Application filed July 11, 1982. (No model.)

To allwhom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, FRANK B. WOOD, acitizen of the United States, and a residentof the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful System of Automatic Electric Signaling and Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

- My invention relates to that class of electric signaling systems employed in fire-alarm, dis- [3 trict, and other similar municipal telegraphic organizations, which systems ordinarily com prise a principal or central station, and two or more auxiliary or sub'stationslocated at dift'erent points within the geographical district which the principal station is designed'to serve.

At each sub-station means are provided whereby a determinate arbitrary signal may be transmitted through an electric circuit to the principal station, by setting in action automatic 2o machinery attached to a circuit-breaker or transmitter, which, while in motion, sends a predetermined stereotyped signal appropriated to and designating the particular station. The signal thus transmitted is received by an operator at the principal or central station upon suitable apparatus, actuated by an electromagnet which responds to the electrical impulses from thesub-station. This electro-magnet may actuate a recordingapparatns or reg- 3o ister, and thus impress or mark the signals upon a moving strip of' paper; or itimay produce corresponding strokes upon a hell or gong; or both these methods may be used in conjunction, thus indicating tothe attendant, either by the number of characters marked upon the paper or by the number of strokes upon the bell, the designating number of the station from whence the signal has been sent. The object of my invention is to provide a 4.0 system whereby, alter the completion of the transmission of a predetermined signalthrough an electric circuit from a sub-station to the principal station, a signal of acknowledgment will be automatically returned in like man- 5 her to the sub-station, thereby notifying the sender that his signal has beenduly received. This end I attain by setting in operation at the principal station,through the action of an electro-magnet responding to the signals or impulses proceeding from the sub-station, au- 0 tomatic mechanism which produces an arbitrary signal of acknowledgment upon suitable receiving apparatus at the sub-station, immediately after the completion of the reception of the original signal at the principal station. The invention also embraces certain details of mechanism and organization of electric circuitsforproducing the hereinbefore-mentioned results.

The subjectmatter claimed as new will be hereinafter specifically designated. The accompanying drawing is a vertical transversesection of a signal-box constituting the sub-station, and exhibiting the construction and arrangement of the automatic me'chanism, in connection with which the apparatus at the principal station and the uniting electric circuits are illustrated in diagram.

In the drawing 1 have represented one principal or central station and three sub-stations,

respectively designated as stations I, II, and III. Ihaveshown the necessary apparatus for the antomatictransmission ofthestation-signal and the reception of the return-signal at station II only, it being understood that the apparatus is precisely similar to this at sub-stations 1 and Ill except as to the particular construction or arrangement of the circuit breaking or transmitting wheel, which hasa different signal stereotyped upon, it at each substation, thus enabling the different station-signals to be readily distinguished one fromranother by the operator at theprincipal station,

as hereinafter set forth.

The automatic transmitting apparatus at each sub-station preferably consists of a metallic circuit-breaking wheel, W, which is caused to revolve in one direction in a wellknown manner by means of a train of wheelwork and a coiled spring, which, when a signal 0 is to be transmitted, is wound up by means of a crank, (J, and upon the crank being released by the hand of the operator the recoil ot' the spring acting through the train of wheel-work causes the transmitting-wheel W to perform one complete revolution in the direction indi= cated by the arrow in the figure. In the periphery ot the wheel W recesses or notches w w are formed, and these are arranged in systematic groups, so as to constitute a numerical signal. For example, in the wheel shown in the drawing the group w consists of three notches, signifying numeral 3, and the group 10 of four notchessignifying numeral 4, the entire signal being 34. At 10 an elongated notch or recess is cut from the periphery of the wheel W, ofa length equal to about one-fourth of its entire circumference, the object of which arrangement will be hereinafter explained. An insulated contact-spring, s, is mounted upon a part of the frame supporting the'abovedescribed mechanism and presses firmly by its own resiliency against the periphery of the circuit breaking or transmitting wheel W, so as to form an electrical connection therewith as it revolves, except while oneof the notches or spaces w 10 10 is passing beneath its exremit y.

The apparatus at the principal station consists of an electro-niagnet, M, which may be the same electro-magnet which is employed to actuate the recording or signaling apparatus, or may be an independent electro-magnet, as found most expedient in any particular case. The armature p of this electro magnet is mounted upon a lever, P, at the opposite extremity of which isa detent, p,'which normally engages with a stop,q,and therebyholds in check asystem 'of Wheel-work propelled by a spring or weight, whlch, when released by the action of the electro-magnet'M, will cause theaxis v and its attached transmitting-wheel, hereinafter described, to make one complete again arrested by the stopq coming in contact with the detent p. The axis a ofthe' wheel-work'at the principal station carries a circuit-breaking or circuit-changing metallic wheel, X, mounted rigidly thereupon, as shown in the figure. The wheel X has a certain determinate number of notches or recesses, preferably two, as shown at w 00, cut at a certain point in its periphery, as shown in the figure, and a segment, X, as shown in the figure, is mounted behind and concentric with the wheel X, being also in electrical connection therewith and with the frame of the mechanism also. Insulated contact-sprin gs s and s are adj usted' to press firmly against the uncut portions of the peripheries of the circuit-wheel and segment, respectively, as they revolve. When the apparatus is at rest'the spring 8' rests upon the wheel X, while the spring 8, although projecting into the path of the segmentX, is not normally in contact therewith. The notches or recesses 00 :0 upon the wheel X serve to trans mit the'returnor acknowledgment signal to' the substation, where it'is received upon a small hell or gong, B, which is struck by a hammer, I), attached to the armature-lever n of an electro-magnet, m, said lever beingpivoted at n, and provided with a retractingspring, M.

It is essential to the proper action of the apparatus that the mechanism which causes the rotation of the shaft 2: and its attached circuitas follows: When the entire systemis in its normal condition the transmitting-wheels at the principal station occupy the respective positions represented'in the drawing. Theelectric circuit which unites the several substations with the principal station maybe traced as follows: commencing at the positive pole of the battery E, which battery is preferably located at the principal station, a constantcnrrent passes by the wire 1 to the signal-box at sub-station I, thence by wire 2 to the bindingscrew 1 of the signal-box at station II, thence by wire 3 to contact-spring s, which is in electrical connection with the transmitting-wheel W, upon the periphery of which it rests. The

current therefore passes through the wheel W and through the frame of the signal-box upon which it is mounted, and thence to the attached binding-post z, thence by wire 4 to sub-station 1II,and' thence through any required number of similar sub-stations in their order, after which it returns by wire 5 to the binding-screw 6, and thence by wire? to contact-spring s through circuit-wheel X and frame F ofthe mechanism to screw 8 and thence by wire 8 t0 the electro-magnet M, and thence by wire9 to the negative pole of the battery E. Thus the electro-magnet M is normally traversed by ILO a constant current, so that its armature-lever P holds the mechanism at the principal station in check by means of the stop g. It,

now, a person at sub-station II wishes to signal the operator at the principal or central station, he sets the transmitting-wheel W in motion by pulling down the crank O, and thus winding up the coiled spring which impels said wheel. The wheel commences and completes one revolution in the direction indicated by the arrow and then stops, and as the several spaces or notches w, w, &c., upon its periphery successively pass beneath the contact-spring s the circuit is automatically interrupted, and these interruptions by their duration and't'requency indicate the designating number of the sub-station in a well-known manner. The'signal is thus transmitted by the alternate breaking and closing of the circuit during the first three quarters of the revotion of the wheel W; but during nearly the whole of the fourth quarter of the revolution 21mins a the circuit through the contact-springs is interrupted by the passage. beneath it of the. long space w, which is cut from the periphery of the wheel, as hereinbefore explained. Behind the wheel W, and concentric therewith, is

I unattached segment W, which is in electrical connectiouwith the said wheel, and occupies a portion of the circumference of i the circle a little greater than that occupied by theflportion of the wheel W, which is cut away at The-insulated contact-spring s is so mount ed as to projectjuto the path of the segment W, and hence when the transmitting-wheel W has completed three-fourths of a revolution the contact-spring 8 comes in contact with the. segment W just before contactisint'errupted between the spring 8 and the wheel W. The contact-spring s is connected by a wire. 10, to the electro-magnet m. and thence to the hinding-screw y. Henceit forms the terminal of a normally-open branch circuit, within which is included the electro-magnet m, the function of which is to sound the bell B. It will be understood thereforeyfrorn the above explanation, that during the last quarter of the revolution of the transmitting'wheel \V the main circuit traversing the signal-box is switched through the electro-inagnet m and the segment W, but is restored to its normal position just before the completion of the revolution.

The arraugemet of the electric circuits at the principal station is somewhat similar to that which has been described. time being provid-' ed a metallic segment, X, which during the last quarter of the revolution is in contact with the insulated spring 8 From the explanation hereinbet'ore given it will be understood that i when the mechanism at the principal station is released,.which release takes place instantly upon the first interruption ot'the main circuit in transmitting a signal from thesub-station, the axis a and its attached circuit-wheel will perform its revolution synchronously with the wheel W at the transmitting or sub-station. During the first three quarters ofits revolution, while the signal is being transmitted from the substation, the contactspring-s will rest upon the uncut portion of the periphery of the wheel X aud hence the circuit will remain uninterrupted, and the signal will be properly received upon the electro-magnet M, and thereby transferred to the recording or sounding apparatus in the ordinary wellknown way. During the last quarterof the revolution,however, the segment X comes in contact with the contact-spring s and thereby closes a nore mally-opeu shunt-conductor, 11, which extends from the contact-spring s to the point 12, thus, when closed, spanning the electro-maguet M and also a small section of the hatteryiiE, and thereby. preventing the demagnetizationmf the electro-magnet. During this latter portion of theyrevolution of the circuit-wheel X,

' and while the electro-imagnet M is shunted orv bridged, the notches a a; pass beneath the cou-.

tact-spring shthus interruptingthe main cir cuit. twice in succession and producing a corresponding signal upon the hell B at the subtro-magnet mateach sub-station is only placed in circuit during the last quarter of the revolution of the transmitting-wheel after a signal has been sent.

It will be readily understood, from the foregoing explanation, that in case the signal receiving or recording apparatus at the principal station should from any cause fail to respond to the signal transmitted from the sub-station themechanism for transmitting the returnsignal will either not. be actuated at all or else not at the proper time, and hence no response williqbe received at the sub-station. The signalizcr being thus made aware that his signal has not been received, may make use of some other means far conveying the information desired.

- Inasmuch as a very feeble electromagnetic power is sufi'icient to actuate the bell B in the.

signal-box at the substation, a small and inexpensive electro-magnet, having but a few turns of wire in its coils, is preferably employed at. m, for, as all the other magnets in the circuit are out out at the moment when this one is required to be actuated, including the electromagnet M at the central station,.which is short circpited with reference to the main line by the" contact-spring s and segment X, I am thusenabled to nakeuse of a powerful electromagnet with many turns of vrirein its coils foractuatingthesigual-reeordingmechanismat the principal station without interfering in the least with the proper performance of the small magnet m at the sub station, which, although it is placed in the same circuit'aud actuated by-the same battcry,tis never operated at the same time.

, I do not herein claim the combination, with an electric circuit uniting a principal station, and-a sub-station, ot' a register and transmit ting wheel at the principal station, and a simultaneously-revolving transmitting-wheel, and inechanismflfor switching the circuit through an electro-niagnet at the sub-station I forthe purposeofautomaticallyannouncingthe return-signal; nor the combination, with such an electric circuit, of a transmitter at theprincb pal station for sending a return-signal, a relay magnet, and. a contact-segment for automatie cally cutting out the relay-magnet during a portion of the revolution and afterward restoring it to the circuit; nor the specificiuieans herein described for automatically cutting out i and restoring the receiving-magnet from and .to the said circu-it,.consisting of. the combination of the revolvingcircuit wheel or wheels,

contacbsprings, battery, and normally-open:

shunt-circuit, as these .vseveral combinations are fully shown, described, and claimed in Letters Patent No. 252,353, granted to Henry J. Brower and myself as joint inventors, and dated the 17th day of January, A. D. 1882, to which reference is bad.

I claim as my invention,-.-

.1. The combination, substantiallyas hereinbefore set forth, of an electric circuit uniting a principal station with a sub-station,an automatic transmitter at the substation for transmitting-a determinate signal through said circuit to the principal station, automatic mechanism at the principal station for producing a determinate signal at the sub-station anelectro-rnagnet for releasing .orv setting in action the last-named mechanism by an impulse p'roceedi'ng front the transmitter at the sub-station immediately upon its initial movement, and

branch is automaticallyswitched into themain circuit at the sub-station during the time in which a return-signal is being automatically transmitted from the principal station.

3. The combination, sul stantially as herein before set forth, ofan electric circuit uniting a principal station with a sub-station, synchronously-movingautomaticmechanismfor breaking and closing the circuit at the principal and sub-stations, respectively, an elcctro-magnet for controlling the starting and stopping of said automatic mechanism at the principal station, which electro-magnet is included in the said electric circuitat that station, anormally-open shunt spanning said electro-m-agnet, and a circuit-closer actuated by said automatic mechanism, which closes said shunt and thereby prevents said electro-magnet"from responding during the time. in which its'asso ciatedmechanism-istransmitting the return.- signal to the sub-station.

4. The com bination, substantially as hereinbefore set fortl1,of an electriccircuit uniting a principal station-With a- ,sub-st-ation, synchronously-movingautomatic mechanism for trans theother station, and switching devices attached to each -of said automatic transmitters,

whereby the elcctro-magnetat each station is prevented from responding during the time of transmission of a signal by its associated transmitter.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of an electric circuit uniting a principal station with a sub-station, automatic circuit-wheels at each of said stations moving synchronously with each other and organized, substantially as described, to transmit a determinate signal throughsaid circuit during a definitebut different portion of their respective revolutions, and receiving electromagnets at each station responding to the signals automatically transmitted from the other station.

6.'The;combinatio'n, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of an electric circuit uniting a principal station'with a sub-station,-an electro-magnet at each of said stations, automatic circuit-Wheels at each of said stations moving synchronously with each other and so organized as to cause said circuit to traverse said respective electro-magnets during a determinate but different portion of their respective revolutions, and automatic transmitting devices upon said circuit-Wheels organized, sub stantially asdescribe'd, so as' to vbe operated during that portion of their respective revolutions in which the associate electro-niagnet is not in the direct circuit.

7. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a circuit-wheel for transinitting determinate signals by alternately breaking and closing an electric circuit, asegment attached to and concentric with said circuit-wheel, and an independent or branch circuit which is closed through said segment during a determinate portion of its revolution while the main circuit is held open.

8. The combination, substantially ashereinbefore set forth, of an automaticcircuit-wheel for transmitting determinate signals by alternately breaking and closing an electric circuit, a segment attached to said circuit-wheel for closing an independent or branch circuit during a, determinate portion of its revolution while the main circuit is held open, and air electro-magnet for receivingsignals included in said independentor branch circuitr 9. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of an electric circuit uniting a principal station with'a sub-station, an tomatic mechanism for transmitting signals by alternately breaking and .closing said circuit situated at the principal and substations, respectively, an 'electro-magn-et of compara tively great electrical resistance at the principal station,;and an electro-magnet of comparativelysmall resistance at the sub-station, each forresponding to the impulses proceed ingfro'mithe automatic transmitter at theother station.

10. The combination, substantiallyas hereinbefore set forth, of an electric circuit, an elec tro-magnet, an automatic circuit-wheel under controlof said electro-m agnet for transmitting v determinate signals by alternately breaking In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- 10 and closing said electric circuit, a segment atscribed my name this 8th day of July, A. D. tached to said circuit-wheel, a shunt-circuit 1882.

spanning said electro-ma-gnet,whichis closed 5 through said segment during a. determinate FRANK B.- WOOD; portion of the revolution of the circuit-wheel,

and an independent electro-magnet for receiv- Witnesses:

in g signals which responds to the impulses from JOSIAH A HYLAND, the automatic circuit-wheel. DANIEL W. EDGECOMB, 

